LOGINAidenThe longer I sit with the fact that Willow is missing, the bigger my guilt grows. I had fought with her. Made her cry. Ignored her for days, all because of some stupid audio file.To think that I had wasted all of those precious days staying away from her. Now, I would give anything just to have her back. To hold her. To get on my knees and apologize for being such a moron.Vincent’s crew gets to the flat almost the same time as me and my group. The flat is empty. Everything is way too clean. Whoever used to live here, it’s no doubt that they’d left in a hurry. “We need to contact the landlord and get the name of the former inhabitants of this space.” Vincent leaves for the doorway, no doubt to talk to the neighbours.Ginny calls out to him. “What if they already got to him and wiped his memory? I mean, there’s a reason why we can’t deduce their identities, even though we’re here.”“Only one way to find out.” He leaves. “Hey.” Ginny approaches me; lowers her voice to a whisp
Willow“Miss Willow Thompson. Come.” Horace Smith holds out his hands, like a royal addressing a subject at court. He holds himself stiffly. Posture regal. Lips stretched in what I can only describe as a sinister smile.He’s old. Probably mid-seventies. He’s got salty hair and wrinkles on his face. But he’s sharp. Not even his old age can take away from how intimidating he is.I make my feet move. They are bare. These scary assholes didn’t bother to provide me with shoes. They must have done it on purpose. A calculated move to make me feel inferior and self conscious. Fuck that. I hold my head high. Horace closes the space between us. He taked my hands in his and kisses my knuckles. His lips are dry and papery. There’s nothing pervy about the kiss and yet, it sends a shudder down my spine. “I’ve been on the edge of my teeth for several hours, waiting to meet the great Thompson heir.” He says the last part mockingly. “I’ve prepared this spread for you. You’ll join me for dinner
WillowI am finally being moved upstairs. Turns out my holding cell isn’t a warehouse but a storage unit connected to a much larger mansion.I haven’t seen Garrett Smith since he physically assaulted my face. Gideon is the one who comes back to announce that I am being moved upstairs.I do not ask questions. I remain quiet and do as I’m asked, trusting that my family will find me soon.In the mansion, we pass through a series of double doors before we come to the grand staircase. I don’t know who lives here but they’ve got to be pretty important. A house like this must be worth over half a billion.Not that I know a lot about real estate. I just have an inkling of the worth of this great big house, gleaming with gold fixtures.I climb up the stairs, following Gideon’s lead. There are two extra guards behind me and I can feel their beady eyes leering at my back view. Whatever they are thinking, it makes me shudder.No. They aren’t going to do anything sexually abusive to me. From what
Vincent“What’s the update?” I ask the guard in charge of supervising the witch network.“Nothing yet sir.” He stands straighter, a reaction to the scowl I shoot his way. “But don’t worry though. I’m about to call them again.”“The hall was obviously swept with magic,” I hiss. “We have to undo whatever these fuckers did and we have to do it fast. Every second we waste is a detriment to miss Thompson’s safety.”“Yes sir. I understand. I’ll call back and get an update.”I don’t bother responding to that. My phone starts buzzing. It’s Aiden. I actually forgot about him after Cary showed up at the school. Wonder what he’s been up to on his end. No doubt he’s looking into the case too. Why else would he be calling? “Aiden. What’s up?”“Rowan wasn’t kidnapped,” he tells me, going straight to the point. “He was in the hall just as Willow. But he wasn’t drugged. At some point, he must have walked out of there. Meaning, he should be able to provide more context about this whole shit show.”“
VioletIt is bad enough getting dumped by the guy you are in love with. But when you find out that your best friend is missing, mere hours after your breakup? Well, that is a more elevated kind of hurt.The last time I saw Willow, she was getting into her car, struggling to hide her hurt behind a wry smile. I helped her get ready for her outing. I picked out her dress and her jewelry. About the jewelry, the thought of it rubs me off the wrong way. I don’t know why but thinking about it makes me uneasy. Which is crazy. I picked it out of her jewelry box, so why does it feel like I’ve forgotten something important?Aiden calls my name, returning my focus to the conversation at hand. We are still on the phone. I’m still crying my eyes out. “You’re sure you saw Rowan?” he asks. “I’m sorry to be asking you these questions, while you’re so emotional but I need to know everything, Violet. Where did you meet him? What did you two talk about?”Is he seriously trying to poke at my still fre
AidenGinny fills me in on all the readings she’s been doing with Willow. She talks about Willow’s nightmares. The creepy shadow. To sum it all up, she feels inadequate. Like she’s failed her friend somehow. “None if this is your fault,” I tell her, patting her arm awkwardly. “Thanks for telling me all of that stuff.”“What are you going to do?” she demands. “Look, i know you two aren’t on good terms right now, but this is Willow we’re talking about.”“You think I’m not doing everything I can to find her?” I suck in a sharp breath. “Why would you even think that?”“Is that a real question?” Ginny gets over her gulit fast. She switches to glaring at me. “You’ve been ignoring her for days, acting like a world class jerk.”“I deserve that. But I’m afraid this isn’t what we should be focusing on right now.”“I know.” She deflates instantly. “You’re right. As much as I want to give you shit for hurting my friend, it’ll have to wait.” She narrows her eyes at me. “So, what do we do? I cal
AIDENMy mother and I hardly fight. Usually, I am the obedient son. The easy going one, who makes her life easier. Because I know how she’s suffered; how much she’d sacrificed for the both of us to escape the hell we used to live in—a life of fear and chaos, not knowing if the next day was going to
WILLOWThe crowd is still cheering. Aiden is still waiting for me to say something.“I’m guessing this is about my… brother.” He whispers the words right beneath my ear, running his fingers along my butt cheeks.What the hell is he doing? I guess I put myself in this situation— to be groped and fon
WILLOWToday is regionals. Northwestern University’s hockey team is facing off against California’s Omega hockey team.It’s a freaking bloodbath out there on the ice rink. Both teams are already an hour into the game and after three solid intermission periods, the Omegas are in the lead.Theo is in
WILLOWViolet and I are returning from cheerleading practice when I decide to stop at the frat house.“Just for a minute,” I hooked my arm around my best friend’s, tugging her into the Omega house. “I left my economics notebook at Theo’s last night and want to get it back.”“Right.” Violet rolls he







